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View synonyms for

effete

[ ih-feet ]

adjective

  1. lacking in wholesome vigor; degenerate; decadent:

    an effete, overrefined society.

  2. exhausted of vigor or energy; worn out:

    an effete political force.

    Synonyms:

  3. unable to produce; sterile.


effete

/ ɪˈھː /

adjective

  1. weak, ineffectual, or decadent as a result of overrefinement

    an effete academic

  2. exhausted of vitality or strength; worn out; spent
  3. (of animals or plants) no longer capable of reproduction
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈڱٱ, adverb
  • ˈڱٱԱ, noun
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Other Word Forms

  • ·ڱٱl adverb
  • ·ڱٱn noun
  • ԴDze·ڱٱ adjective
  • non·ڱٱl adverb
  • non·ڱٱn noun
  • ܲe·ڱٱ adjective
  • un·ڱٱn noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of effete1

First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin ڴŧٲ “exhausted from bearing,” equivalent to ef- “from, out of” ( ef- ) + ŧٲ “having brought forth,” feminine past participle of lost verb; fetus
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Word History and Origins

Origin of effete1

C17: from Latin ڴŧٳܲ having produced young, hence, exhausted by bearing, from ŧٳܲ having brought forth; see fetus
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

It’s in his cocky but effete delivery, the same vocal quality I heard when theater queens debated who was the superior Mame at West Village gay bars.

From

“I’ll go after him for being ‘this effete knower of arcane knowledge, who knows little tidbits that no one would care about.’

From

Perfetti gives him an effete contemporaneity, but the character needs new lines more than a new look.

From

Mr. Zeman, a rambunctious, old-school politician with a knack for connecting with ordinary people, delights in offending effete liberal sensibilities and conventional wisdom.

From

Funny, frail, effete, Bettany’s Warhol is as meticulously impersonal as his art, and my goodness he whines.

From

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